Boston situation -Reply -Reply

[Dan Lester]

>>> Earl Young <eayoung at bna.com> 02/25/97 01:23pm
>>>
There does not seem to be any significant Constitutional
issues.  The city is  not attempting to block access - only to
avoid paying for access.  There are -  to be sure - lots of stuff
--------
HUH?   First, it has First Amendment written all over it.  Just
ask the folks at ACLU....who're probably all over it already.  

And what do you mean about "avoid paying for access"? 
How is the city going to pay for something that a user
accesses?  I'm not suggesting that people should set up
accounts with Suzy's Porn Palace from PL stations....but if
they do, it isn't the library's fiscal liability.....unless they give
out their mastercard number to the patrons.  o-)  

Of course the issue of exposure (for the library) to all sorts of
charges and lawsuits is there, and is probably what the
mayor is worried about....that and the political fallout.  (gee,
imagine that, a pol who think he can avoid being seen as a
sleazy SOB   yeah, sure.... )   

=====================
on the Web that children ought not see.  I do not  subscribe
to the idea that seeing objectionable stuff automatically scars
you  for life, but parents ought to be in control of such things
-----------------------------------
I agree with the first sentence...that there are many things
inappropriate for children in all sorts of places in the world. 
But, libraries seem to have established quite clearly that they
are NOT in loco parentis.  Yeah, these days everyone wants
someone else to take care of all their problems....but the
kids are the parents' problems, not the library's.  What next,
and armed guard stationed in the 612.6s or the 700s??
================================
and the state ought  not be subsidizing access to material
that "community standards" find  objectionable.
-------------------------------
Well, the state isn't doing that.  Or the city.  The workstation
is there and hooked up to the net, whether used or not,
whether used for "good" or "evil" or something else.  In a
small place where dialup was required, this is theoretically an
issue, but I assume they have better access in Boston. If
not, they have a different, and larger, problem.
============================= 
particular reason to put themselves at risk by  failing to block
sites where there is a probability of material that would 
otherwise not be in the library.  I suppose that's my litmus
test - if it would  be on the shelves, it should be available on
the net. Otherwise, what's the  problem?
------------------------------------------------
The problem is blocking software doesn't work.  Some work
even less than others, but none of them are as effective as a
person looking at books.  And thus it will always be, by the
nature of the beast.  Plus, we know that even when "real
librarians" select books that there are always some
taxpayers who'll not like the selections anyway....

the antiquated cyclopean


Dan Lester, Network Information Coordinator
Boise State University Library, Boise, Idaho, 83725 USA
voice: 208-385-1235   fax:  208-385-1394
dlester at bsu.idbsu.edu     OR    alileste at idbsu.idbsu.edu
Cyclops' Internet Toolbox:    http://cyclops.idbsu.edu
"How can one fool make another wise?"   Kansas, 1979.